Cthulhu Gonfalon

Looking at the smiling Wall, Owen Hart fell into a daze.

He looked around him, feeling at a loss. He saw his father’s bitter, yet somewhat relaxed expression, he saw his grandfather seated dejectedly in another corner of the room, silently stroking that Holy Scripture that he always carried with him wherever he went, and he also saw the elders and loved ones from the Hart family. Then last but not least, there were the higher-ups from the Church of the God of Scholars.

“What’s going on?” he could not help asking.

“If I were to go into the details, it would be too complicated. Simply put, I have inherited the priesthood of the former God of Scholars,” this God of Knowledge and Culture, an elderly man who donned a long robe and called himself Wall, said with a smile. “I have no intention of taking advantage of another’s perilous situation, it’s just that the priesthood of ‘Scholars’ cannot be left vacant for so long. And it’s a fact that I have been working hard in this direction all this while, which is why I’m taking over this priesthood—of course, now, I’m not the God of Scholars yet, or rather, I’m not just the God of Scholars.”

Owen Hart fell silent for a moment, then asked, “Then what about Our Majesty?”

Wall shook his head and said, “For a long, long time to come, there is no way you all can see him again. Perhaps in future, when I have become a great Divine Power, I might be able to resurrect him in my capacity as a god… but that is destined to be an awfully distant matter. Probably a few hundred years, to even a few thousand years, or maybe, even a Legendary Master may not live long enough to witness such a scene.”

Now, Owen understood why his elders had such expressions. He thought for a moment, then asked, “So, you want us to believe in and serve you, just like how we believed in and served His Majesty before you?”

“I’m not demanding for anything,” Wall said while shaking his head. “All of you are his devout followers, and I have no intentions of insulting your sense of loyalty. But as you can see, I have already inherited his priesthood, so until I am strong enough to segregate a part of this priesthood out to reconstruct a god follower based on this priesthood, there is no way he can be possibly resurrected.”

Owen hung his head low and said, “To show us, the losers who now have no true home to return to, just how majestic you are?

He spoke lightly, but there was a hint of resentment in his intonation that was hard to miss.

Wall did not get angry. Kindly, he said, “Show off or just to show? Neither. I won’t be so senseless to that extent. I just thought it’s necessary to tell you about it. After all, the future is still very far away. You all should always think more about the future.”

Owen understood what this god meant. He was already 15 years of age, no longer a child. He had long been involved in politics, where he also had a specific area of study.

The God of Knowledge and Culture had specially come to pay a visit and had demonstrated his Divine Power. All of these things were in fact, just to tell the Hart Family and the followers of the God of Scholars that the god they believed in was never going to come back again and that now, other than changing over to believe in him, they really had no other way out.

This was not considered as some kind of ferocity or some kind of bullying. A god as great and mighty as the God of Knowledge and Culture took a gentler approach, which could even be said to be quite a tolerant approach.

But Owen still could not help feeling disappointed. He even had complaints.

He was not a devout follower, but he had long been accustomed to believing in the God of Scholars. He held on to this belief that had long become a part of his life, just like how he must eat, sleep, and drink every day. Now, the God of Knowledge and Culture wanted him to change this habit, so he found it really difficult to accept.

Of course, the thoughts that went through his mind could not escape Wall’s eyes. Looking at the intriguing character of this Holy Son, Wall simply could not help smiling again.

It was truly intriguing. He had never seen or even imagined that in this world, there could actually be a Holy Son who was not a devout follower.

This teenager, by the name of Owen Hart, had not devoted himself wholeheartedly to the God of Scholars. Regardless of how well he understood the teachings of the God of Scholars, or that he had adhered to these teachings well in his daily life routines, deep within Owen’s heart, he did not quite agree with this set of teachings.

To him, these teachings, this life, and this belief were merely just habits.

Yes, they were just habits.

They were intriguing, but also very reasonable things. It was just that, they were matters that people took to heart.

The God of Knowledge and Culture smiled. He stretched out and pressed the top of Owen’s head, and a gentle will, accompanying his warm Divine Power, flowed into Owen’s mind.

Young man, I don’t sense any unease from you, but why are you unwilling to place your belief in me?

Within their minds, the God of Knowledge and Culture asked.

Having communicated with the God of Scholars via this way so many times, this method of interaction evoked an immediate response from Owen. Likewise, he replied with his mind, I am so used to living my life believing in my god, it is just like the Divine Power that used to fill up this entire magic tower. It was a part of my life. I don’t wish to change it.

Wall replied, But life is ever changing, just like how people always grow older.

The fleeting life of humans, to a great god like you, what does it really signify? Wall asked.

Wall was silent for a moment, then said, I have once heard such a story from my Master God, who is the great Void Mask. To us, just like who the God of Scholars is to you all, he is Our Majesty. Are you interested in hearing it?

Of course, I would like to listen to your teachings, Owen said.

And then, Owen saw the view before him change. He was no longer standing within the magic tower. He was now standing amidst the sky, looking at some tiny bugs swimming in the water.

These bugs are very tiny and weak. They are born in the spring and grow in the summer. When fall comes, they lay their eggs and die. The eggs will spend a winter’s time developing, then be hatched by the next spring to begin their life, Wall explained while demonstrating the life cycle of this tiny bug before Owen’s eyes. Its life is so short that it is completely impossible for it to know what ‘winter’ is, and also, what ‘a year’ means.

The teenager nodded, though he did not understand why the god was demonstrating this.

The view changed, and now it was showing a huge tortoise slowly crawling about a swamp with mottled patterns all over its back. it looked just like a gigantic rock, and there were even weeds growing on this rock.

This is the ancient tortoise that lives in big swamps. It leads a very monotonous life eating to its fill then going back to sleep. After sleeping enough, it gets up to eat again. After a certain period, it will start to get lethargic because of the tidal cycle of magic. That is the unfolding of a part of its life akin to hibernation—from one hibernation cycle to the next, it will take about 1000 years.

The teenager looked at that huge, slow-moving tortoise in surprise, and was in total amazement over the extreme length of its lifespan.

The view changed again into one that depicted a tiny flying bug in the air. It was flying all about at first with great agility and speed, but it did not take long before the bug slowed down. Then in pairs, one bug would gather with another where both of them would mate, lay eggs and die.

This is another kind of bug. From the time the egg is hatched to the time the adult bug dies, the entire timespan will only take one day. Or if not, the most it could last would be up to two or three days, said Wall. Their lives are so short that it is impossible for them to know what ‘a week’ means, Wall continued to say.

The view continued to change. Now it had changed into such a towering, ancient tree that every branch hanging from it was just like an ordinary tree.

This is the Divine Tree. From its birth to the present day, hundreds and thousands of years have passed…

Oh, great god, what exactly are you trying to tell me? asked Owen, who was baffled beyond words.

Back then, I asked the same question. Then His Majesty told me, whether it was those bugs whose lifespans were so short and fleeting or the Divine Tree whose lifespan was so long that it outlived countless gods, what they all lived through was in fact only ‘a lifetime.’

A short life is nothing to lament about, while longevity is not necessarily something to be proud of. Down the long river of time, even the gods may not necessarily have immortality. So long as we have taken our lives seriously and lead a meaningful life, we can be satisfied, said Wall; then he continued to ask, Just like the God of Scholars who has fallen, no doubt it had been a meaningful life for him. What about you?

Owen was silent for a long time; then eventually, he knelt down before the God of Knowledge and Culture.